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06/15/2004 Archived Entry: "iVue"

Cartoon fix! Stuart Carlson's "Avert Your Eyes"; Steve Sack's "Troop Rotation"; Tom Toles' "Odd Advice"; Dan Wasserman's "In With the New"; and, Drew Sheneman's "Ceremonial Duties".

Applause to Claire Wolf - always and everywhere! - but especially for posting this item. Hilarious!

On the privacy front: this news from the UK Register is both encouraging and discouraging at the same moment. Discouraging: "Gary Brant's company VeriTouch will soon be marketing a media player called iVue, which will ensure that no music is ever shared again. The iVue uses your fingerprint to generate a unique key when you buy music online, and you can only play that music back once your fingerprint has been verified by the machine using this key." As our unofficial co-blogger Gordon P. comments on one implication, "This thumbprint scan will make it impossible to open any `Used MP3' stores. If you decide you no longer want the music, tough nooggies: All sales are final, no one can play your MP3 but you. And anyone who wants to listen to an MP3 will have no choice but to pay full price..." Encouraging: The Register comments that in over 500 responses to the idea, not one was favorable. For example, `Tim' wrote, "Bit of a no brainer really, the choice between an MP3 player that plays tunes, and an MP3 player that records biometric information and restricts my ability to transfer MP3s between devices. I see no better way of ensuring that a media device won't sell apart from smearing it with excrement before packing it." Well said!

Best to all,
mac